Centerless machine for coil-winding tapes and the like



Jan. 10, 1967 Q un-0 3,296,784

CENTERLESS MACHINE FOR COIL-WINDING TAPES AND THE LIKE Filed March 31, 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CHARLES GUI TON ATTORNEYS C. GUITON Jan. 10, 1967 CENTERLESS MACHINE FOR COIL-WINDING TAPES AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1964 INVENTOR CHARLE S G I N ATTORNE Ys C. GUITON Jan. 10, 1967 CENTERLESS MACHINE FOR COIL-WINDING TAPES AND THE LIKE Filed March 31, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 m T N E V m CHARLES GUITON fiT7'0R V United States Patent M 3,296,784 CENTERLESS MACHINE FOR COIL-WINDING TAPES AND THE LIKE Charles Guiton, 18 Ave. de Messine, Paris, France Filed Mar. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 356,102 (Ilaims priority, application France, Apr. 10, 1963, 931,069, Patent No. 1,378,838 Claims. (Cl. 57--18) This invention relates in general to centerless tapewinding machines and has specific reference to a centerless machine for the helical winding of a tape or strip, this machine being applicable more particularly to the continuous production of reinforced plastic tube for example of the glass-polyester type.

Centerless machines are already known wherein a tape is paid out from a feed spool, roll or reel in order to be wound firstly in the form of adjacent or overlapping convolutions on the centerless device and be subsequently unwound therefrom in its central portion to constitute a helical winding.

During a continuous production process it is necessary to substitute refill rolls for the empty rolls without stopping the machine.

It is the essential object of the present invention to provide a machine of the type set forth hereinabove which is particularly simple and permits of dispensing with the hitherto known use of revolving reels or rolls.

To this end, the centerless machine for the helical winding of a tape, wherein the tape delivered from a feed roll or spool mounted on a fixed support is wound to form concentric convolutions or turns on a set of rollers carried by a rotary annular plate before being wound to a helix in the central region of said rotary annular plate, is characterized in that the aforesaid rollers are so mounted on said annular plate as to be movable towards the fictitious center thereof in order to permit the variation of the perimeter of the polygon of which the vertices consist of said rollers and along which the different concentric convolutions of the tape are formed, and that means are provided for moving said rollers outwards during normal operating conditions and thus keep the tape under a constant mechanical tension, these same means being also adapted to cause the simultaneous movement of all the rollers towards the center of said annular plate when, as a consequence of the exhaustion of a feed roll or spool, the free or trailing end of the tape must be connected to the leading end of a fresh roll or spool.

Means are also provided for holding said trailing or free end of the outermost convolution formed by the tape on said rollers to permit its connection or junction with the leading end of the fresh spool.

With the device of this invention a fresh spool may be connected without stopping the machine.

Besides, the maximum type necessary for performing the junction operation is subordinate to the total length of the concentric convolutions accumulated on the rollers and to the value ofrtheir movement towards the common center of the rollers carried by the centerless device.

Under these conditions, it is clear that a relatively long Patented Jan. 10, 1967 FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive are diagrams illustrating the mode of operation of the machine.

The centerless machine according to this invention comprises an annular plate 1 rotatably mounted on rollers 30 carried by a frame structure 31 (see FIGURE 2). This annular plate 1 is rotatably driven through any suitable means such as a motor 32 of which the torque is transmitted for example by means of a toothed Wheel 33 to the teeth 34 carried by the annular plate 1. This plate 1 carries on a common circumference and at regular speed intervals a plurality of bearings 2 in which longitudinal spindles 3 are rotatably mounted.

Each spindle 3 carries on one side of the rotary annular plate 1 a spur pinion 4 and on the other side of this plate 1 a crank arm 5, each pinion 4 and crank arm 5 being keyed on the relevant spindle. Each crank arm 5 carries in turn on its outer end a pin 6 on which a roller 7 is mounted for loose rotation.

In the example illustrated it is assumed that the tape 8 to be wound by means of the centerless machine is intended for the continuous manufacture of a tubular product 9 on a mandrel 10. To this end the tape 8 is paid out from a feed roll or spool 11 mounted on a fixed bracket or support (not shown), and the tape is subsequently wound into concentric turns or convolutions on the various rollers 7 constituting the vertices of a polygon.

A common chain 12 is passed over all the pinions 4 and has one end attached to the rod of a piston slidably mounted in a pneumatically operated cylinder 13 carried by said rotary annular plate 1, and the other end attached to a tension spring 14 anchored on the rotary annular plate 1, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

Under normal operating conditions the outer chamber 13a of the pneumatically operated cylinder 13 is pressurized and the piston is positioned as shown in FIGURE 3. Thus, the chain 12 pulls the spring 14 and all the pinions 4 cause the crank arms 5 as well as the rollers 7 carried thereby to move outwards or in the clockwise direction as seen in FIGURE 3. Thus, the tape 8 forming concentric convolutions on the rollers 7 is subjected to a constant tension which may be adjusted as a function of the characteristics inherent to this tape.

The innermost convolution So, that is, the tape convolution contacting the rollers 7 directly, leaves the periphery of the polygon formed by these rollers by bearing on one of them. Then the tape is diverted substantially towards the fictitious center of the rotary annular plate 1 and passes over a tensioning device 15 before being wound coilwise to constitute the tubular product 9. This tensioning device 15 is pivotally mounted on the rotary annular member by means of a pin 16. Thus, according to the position of this tensioning device on its pin 16, this device provides by its outer contour a variable contact surface area to the tape 8, so that the tape tension can be adjusted at will.

According to a modified embodiment (not shown) the tensioning device 15 may be replaced with a braked roller, means being provided for adjusting the braking effort applied thereto and therefore the tape tension.

The centerless machine comprises on the other hand another annular member 17 concentric to annular plate 1 and mounted for loose rotation thereon by means of bearings 18 mounted externally of the aforesaid bearings 2.

Under normal operating conditions the annular member 17 is not driven and therefore has no influence on the operation of the centerless machine. It becomes operative only during the junction operation as will be explained presently.

This complementary annular member 17 has a strap extension 19 of which the two wings or side plates 19a and 1912 are both formed with V-notches 21. In FIGURE 2,

it is clearly visible that this strap 19 straddles the concentric convolutions of the tape 8 carried by the rollers 7.

The device for holding the outermost convolution 8b of the tape against motion comprises a braking shoe or like member 22 carried by the frame structure 31 of the machine and adapted to engage and lock the annular member 17, and also a device 23 adapted to cause the engagement of a spring-loaded clamp 24 on the tap. This spring-loaded clamp 24 consists of a pair of jaws 24a, 24b normally retained away from each other by electromagnets 25 of said device 23. One jaw 24a carries in addition a hook 27 adapted to engage a corresponding ring 28 carried by the other jaw 24b when the clamp is closed on the tape. The device 23 further comprises sliding-core electromagnets 26 adapted when energized to move the jaw 24a towards the underlying jaw 24b for clamping the device on the tape 8 during a tape-joining operation.

One of the aforesaid jaws 24a, 24b of the clamp may advantageously be provided with a lining of resilient material adapted to engage the tape 8 and compressed during the closing of said jaws to constitute the clamp 24.

To increase the adherence between this clamp 24 and the tape 8 one of the jaws 24a, 24b may also be provided with teeth or indentations adapted to be impressed into the tape material and into corresponding recesses formed in the opposite jaw when the clamp is operated. Obviously, this solution is likely to impair the mechanical strength of the tape in the region thereof where the clamping device is applied; therefore, this specific clamp arrangement can be contemplated only in those cases where the joining operation is effected downstream in relation to the clamp 24, as will be explained presently, the end portion of the tape being thrown away.

Of course, it would not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention to provide any other suitable device for positioning the clamp 24, for example a pneumatically controlled device.

Now the operation of the centerless machine will be described with specific reference to FIGURES 3 to 6 of the drawings.

In FIGURE 3, the feed spool carried by its bracket or like support (not shown) is being paid out, the tape 8 being wound to form concentric convolutions on the rollers 7. At the same time the innermost convolution 8a contacting the rollers 7 directly is carried along by the tensioning device 15 carried by the rotary annular plate 1 to form overlapping turns of the mandrel 10.

It will be noted that each revolution of the rotary annular plate forms one tape convolution on the mandrel and one turn about the set of peripheral rollers 7 carried by this plate, and that three revolutions of this annular plate 1 represent a tape consumption corresponding to one inner turn 8a, thus causing the diagonals to increase by twice the thickness of the tape utilized.

The distance between the rollers 7 and the axis of mandrel 10 being at least twice the mandrel diameter, the length paid out from the reel 11 for a given angular movement of annular plate 1 is substantially equal to three times the length actually wound on the mandrel 10. Therefore, a reserve of concentric convolutions of said tape 8 is built up around the rollers 7 carried by said rotary annular plate 1. The magnitude of this reserve may rise as high as about the two-thirds of the tape carried by the spool 11.

For example, with a winding speed of about 12 meters/ minute, the operator has as much as 30 minutes for changing the feed spools, if these carry 500 meters of tape.

Now reference Will be made to FIGURE 4 showing the centerless machine just before the feed spool 11 is exhausted. In this figure it will be seen that the maximum number of concentric convolutions have been accumulated on the rollers 7.

A short time before the trailing end of the tape 8 leaves the spool 11 and passes through the device 23, the latter is actuated. The electromagnets 25 are de-energized while electromagnets 26 are energized. These electromagnets 26 thus move the jaws 24a and 24b towards each other on either side of tape 8 and these jaws are interlocked in this position by their hooking means 27. Thus, clamp 24 remains attached to the tape 8 and is carried along by the outermost convolution of the tape.

As this convolution continues its movement of rotation With the rotary annular plate 1, the clamp 24 engages the V-shaped notches formed in the strap 19 carried by the annular member 17. Subsequently, the rotary annular plate 1 carries along the annular member 17, i.e. in the counter-clockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 5. Meanwhile, the centerless machine continues its operation and the convolutions are formed on the mandrel 10 by taking tape out from the reserve, the tape 8 being unwound from the center and wound coilwise on the mandrel 10.

When it is desired to hold the outermost convolution 8b against motion in order to complete the tape joining operation, the brake 22 is actuated to slow down and lock the annular member 17. At the same time the air pressure applied to chamber 13a of cylinder 13 is reduced, thus allowing the spring 14 to exert a tractive effort on the chain 12.

This effort added to the pressure exerted by the tape convolutions on the rollers 7 produces a counter-clockwise rotation of pinions 4, so that all the rollers 7 pivot in the direction of the fictitious center of annular plate 1. The shape of the polygon formed by the set of rollers 7 is altered regularly and its perimeter reduced accordingly.

When the annular member 17 is stopped completely it is possible to connect the trailing end of the outermost convolution of the tape on the centerless device to the leading end of a new refill spool 11a disposed on its bracket or support. The method of joining the two ends varies as a function of the material constituting the tape. Thus, for example, this junction may be effected by stapling, sewing, gluing, spot-welding, induction welding, etc.

Upon completion of this joining step the clamp 24 retained in the notches 21 of strap 19 is removed and from this moment on the rotary annular plate 1 pulls the tape out from the refill spool 11a to form again the concentric polygonal convolutions on the rollers 7. The same operation is subsequently resumed when the freshly fed spool is exhausted, and so forth.

According to a modified form of embodiment of this invention, the leading end of the new or refill spool 11a may be joined on the downstream side of clamp 24. In this case, after the annular member 17 and the outermost convolution 8b have been stopped, it is necessary to remove the clamp 24 from the notches of strap 19 and to pull a sufficient length of the outermost convolution 8b to permit the joining step to be carried out after the clamp 24. The piece of tape 8 on which the clamp 24 is fastened may then be removed from the tape just before the junction region.

In this case the device 23 for positioning tne clamp 24 may be dispensed with, provided that the feed spools 11 are provided at their ends with members serving the same purpose as this clamp. To this end, at the end of a spool unreeling operation the tap end may be provided with a set of jaws similar to clamp 24 and acting for instance as a mechanical stop. Under these conditions, the two ends of the old and new tapes are connected downstream of said stop, the tap section which carries this stop being subsequently sectioned upstream of the junction line and rejected.

The piece carried by the tape end may consist of magnetic metal and co-act with a permanent magnet or an electromagnet carried by the loosely rotating annular member 17. In this case when the piece acting like the clamp 24 clears this magnet or electromagnet, it is attrti lfl ther by and thus rotatably drives the annular member 17 about its axis just as the clamp 24 drives the strap 19.

On the other hand, it is obvious that the form of embodiment described hereinabove and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is given by way of example only and should not be construced as limiting the present invention as many modifications may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Thus, the centerless machine of this invention may also be used for winding a tape spiralwise in the specific case of a helix with Zero pitch.

What I claim is:

1. A centerless machine for the continuous helical winding of a tape from a feed spool carried by a fixed support, which comprises a rotary annular plate, supports carried by said plate, rollers mounted on said supports to constitute the vertices of a polygon, said tape being adapted to be wound to form concentric convolutions on said rollers before being finally wound as a helix in the central portion of said annular plate, means pivotally mounting said supports on said annular plate for movement toward and away from the axis of rotation of said plate to provide a variable perimeter of said polygon on Which the concentric tape convolutions are wound, and roller positioning means for moving said rollers outwards under normal operating conditions of the machine in order constantly to keep said tape under mechanical tension, and for simultaneously moving all of said rollers towards the axis of rotation of said annular plate when as a consequence of the exhaustion of a feed spool the free trailing end of the tape has to be connected to the leading end of a refill spool without stopping the machine.

2. Machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said roller supports comprise crank arms pivotally mounted on said rotary annular plate and carrying respectively rollers on which said tape is wound, said roller positioning means comprising pinions solid respectively with said crank arms, a common chain drivingly engaging said pinions, a spring attached on the one hand to said rotary annular plate and on the other hand to one end of said chain, and a fluid-actuated cylinder carried by said rotary annular plate and adapted when energized to exert a tractive effort on the other end of said chain.

3. Machine as set forth in claim 1, comprising in the central portion of said rotary annular plate a guide member over which said tape is caused to pass before being wound a helix in order properly to tension and direct said tape.

4. Machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the trailing end of the tape carries a stop member, comprising annular member mounted for loose rotation, means carried by said annular member which are adapted to re ceive, and be engaged by, said stop member carried by said trailing end of said tape when said feed spool is exhausted, whereby said annular member may be rotatably driven by said tape trailing end, and means for braking and holding said annular member against motion.

5. Machine as set forth in claim 4, in which said means carried by said annular member comprises a two-winged strap straddling the tape convolutions formed on said rollers, the strap wings being formed with notches adapted to receive the stop member secured across the trailing end of said tape.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 970,098 9/1910 Noble 57-18 2,318,316 4/ 1943 Lawrence 2424 2,974,890 3/1961 Davis 2424 FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. B. S. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CENTERLESS MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS HELICAL WINDING OF A TAPE FROM A FEED SPOOL CARRIED BY A FIXED SUPPORT, WHICH COMPRISES A ROTARY ANNULAR PLATE, SUPPORTS CARRIED BY SAID PLATE, ROLLERS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTS TO CONSTITUTE THE VERTICES OF A POLYGON, SAID TAPE BEING ADAPTED TO BE WOUND TO FORM CONCENTRIC CONVOLUTIONS ON SAID ROLLERS BEFORE BEING FINALLY WOUND AS A HELIX IN THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID ANNULAR PLATE, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID SUPPORTS ON SAID ANNULAR PLATE FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID PLATE TO PROVIDE A VARIABLE PERIMETER OF SAID POLYGON ON WHICH THE CONCENTRIC TAPE CONVOLUTIONS ARE WOUND, AND ROLLER POSITIONING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID ROLLERS OUTWARDS UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS OF THE MACHINE IN ORDER CONSTANTLY TO KEEP SAID TAPE UNDER MECHANICAL TENSION, AND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING ALL OF SAID ROLLERS TOWARDS THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID ANNULAR PLATE WHEN AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE EXHAUSTION OF A FEED SPOOL THE FREE TRAILING END OF THE TAPE HAS TO BE CONNECTED TO THE LEADING END OF A REFILL SPOOL WITHOUT STOPPING THE MACHINE. 